It didn't matter what she did, Devin was already smitten. It was clearly written all over his face and even though she turned the conversation away from anything that had to do with romance, Devin just found a way to turn it back on her. Her saving grace was actually a call from Shane and for some reason, the mention of his name straightened Devin up and Vivica was able to relax.
Shane wasn’t calling for much, just wanting an update on how everything went with the meetings. It was purely professional, but Vivica got a moment to walk away from the table and it gave her the breather that she needed. It gave her time to collect herself. At the same time she was slowly unwinding again just from speaking with Shane. It was all so confusing, the push and pull on her senses.
***
Vivica was happy to be on her way home. Everything that she had tried to avoid with Devin had seemed to backfire. There was also the problem of Shane. Devin was hitting on her, and Vivica knew how guys were, that they had a code or something. She was afraid that the code that they had would keep her from getting what she wanted. She wanted Shane, not Devin. She didn’t want Shane to back off, if he was going that way, because Devin wanted her.
She had a lot to think about and though she’d only been there a short time, Vivica was lost without Shane. He wasn’t always there when she got back, but he would be there soon. She ate in his study while he was away and even passed by his room several times.
It was curiosity that did it, that is what Vivica told herself. She was curious about her boss, and he was shrouded in mystery, so naturally, she wanted to rip the curtains away and see what was there. After the third day, Vivica got brave enough to enter his room. It wasn’t locked, her first surprise, and it wasn’t all fancy like the rest of the house. It almost felt suddenly to Vivica like the rest of the house was just for show. This part of it though, was something else. It was Shane’s.
Vivica looked around, not touching or opening anything, but just looking at the few pictures. She did touch the wooden bed frame. Going into his room did nothing but make her wonder more. Vivica had no idea who Shane was, but she was still dying to find out.
Chapter 14
Shane
It was about a week after Shane left before he was able to come back home. His father had taken some further mending from witches before he was able to be transported away from the Montauks and even then, they had to go slow. They had to drive, and Shane was itching to get home. He had left Devin and Vivica alone to take care of the businesses. He wasn’t worried about what happened to his bottom line when he was gone, that didn’t matter. What mattered to Shane was how the two of them got on. He wanted to believe that Vivica was somehow destined to be his, thus there was no reason to think that she was going anywhere, but Shane knew that it wasn’t necessarily the case.
He’d talked to Vivica every day and she hadn’t said anything about it. Devin had though. He was showing frustration that Vivica wasn’t falling all over him. She was supposed to. They were shifters and Vivica was human. She was weaker in all ways, and their sheer magnetism should have been enough. It wasn’t and Shane was thankful, but worried at the same time. He knew that Devin was a good-looking guy and did pretty good with the ladies. If Devin didn’t turn her head, would he?
Shane scoffed at his own musings. When had he ever worried about any of that before?
He got into the office around nine and everyone had cleared out. He took a look at some of the accounts and notes. He should have stayed there and returned calls, emails, all of the things that had been neglected while he was gone. He didn’t though. Shane wasn’t worried about business and making money for the first time in a long time. He finally had something that was far more important to him.
When he got home, Maria came to the door like she always did, but he dismissed her, telling her that she wouldn’t be needed anymore that night. Shane didn’t want her underfoot, asking about sandwiches, when he had something very important to do. He had his mind made up that he was going to go to bed and not be tempted to go see his new charge. He’d been gone almost a week and it felt like forever. He wanted to see her, physically see her, but Shane imagined that he wouldn’t be able to stop there.
So, he went right up to his bedroom, and he would even lock the door if he had to. Shane was sure that there was something wrong with him and his loss of control, but the longer he was away from her, the stronger the pullback was to go to her. He didn’t understand but was lost in the pull of it all.
He was past her room, feeling pretty good about everything and then he stopped dead when he got to his door. It was partially ajar, and he knew that he didn’t leave it that way. He also knew that Maria never went in there, unless he asked her to clean up. That was his sanctuary, so everyone stayed away.
His senses told him who it was and a part of him didn’t want to push the door in. Then, he would see Vivica there, though he didn’t know why she was there. What was she doing in his room in the middle of the night? Was she snooping, trying to find something to steal? He had no idea, and Shane was sure that the only way that he was going to find out was to go in.
Steeling himself to the torrent of emotions that came over him, it did no good. Seeing her in his bed, asleep, innocent as hell, he couldn’t stop the wave of pleasure that he felt.
She was right where she was supposed to be.
The thought popped into his head the moment he saw her there. Vivica was snuggled into his bed and as he got closer, he saw that she was wearing clothes. That wasn’t how she slept before, and Shane liked the idea of her naked body in his sheets. It was still nice either way, whether she was wearing pajamas or not.
He sat down on the bed next to her, letting his weight settle, before moving closer and brushing some of the long strands of blonde hair out of her face. He wanted to see her like that, relaxed, and not worried about a thing. She had the most serene look, as long as she wasn’t awake, overthinking and analyzing everything and everyone. Shane knew that it was mandatory because of her upbringing, but he didn’t have to like it. He wanted her to be safe and not have to worry about anything.
Shane stopped himself, though he couldn’t still the hand that outlined her face. She moved toward his touch, murmuring and letting her body turn toward him as well. Shane took it as a sign, needed it to be one. He was touching a forbidden woman and it was all he could think about, how he wasn’t supposed to be touching her. He continued though, touching her and rubbing his finger down her arm. Then her heaving breasts were getting all of his attention.
“Stop, Devin, I don’t want that.”
Shane frowned and pulled his hand away like it was going to be burned. Why was she saying Devin’s name?
He got up from the bed and tried to pull himself together. He was semi-hard and would have been only minutes away from sliding deep. What the hell was wrong with him? Shane looked down at Vivica, her nipples hard from his caress and her lips puckered, like she was looking for another kiss. Shane groaned inwardly, not believing how close he had come.
“Why is it that I keep finding you in places where you are not supposed to be?”
Vivica jerked with the sound of his voice, and Shane smiled. She blinked a few times and then smiled in this dopey way that really got to Shane. She was all ripe for the taking, but she’d said Devin’s name, not his. Vivica wasn’t dreaming about him anymore. In a week’s time, could her feelings have really changed that much? His sure the hell hadn’t.
“What are you doing in here, Shane?”
“This is my bedroom.”
Vivica’s eyes widened, and she looked at him, smiling.
